Madison Priest Arrested for Trying to Meet 14-Year-Old for Sexual Acts was Previously Reported for Asking Child Inappropriate Questions During Confession
A Madison-area priest, charged earlier this week with child sex crimes, was reported to police over concerns about questions asked during Confession, Bishop Donald J. Hying said Wednesday.
Fr. Andrew Showers, 37, has been charged with attempted use of a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, attempted child enticement and attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child. He was out of police custody as of Wednesday after posting bond and was set to make an initial court appearance on Sept. 30.
Parent Reported Showers for Asking a Child Inappropriate Questions During Confession
Showers has since been restricted from all public ministry and barred from contact with minors. In a message to the diocese late Wednesday, Hying said that diocesan records revealed a complaint was made against Showers by a parent in December 2021.
The parent was concerned about inappropriate questions asked by Showers to a middle-school-aged boy during Confession. The matter was referred by the parent to Lodi police. According to Hying, after meeting with Showers and the child, police decided the incident did not constitute a crime and the matter was not pursued further with the diocese.
Showers was Busted After Undercover Police Officer Posed as a 14-Year-Old Girl on Reddit
As reported by WBAY, Showers was arrested in Clintonville on Sunday after police there said he tried to meet up with a 14-year-old girl. The minor was actually an undercover police sergeant from the Clintonville Police Department who was performing online undercover investigations on August 10, posing as a 14-year-old girl called “Abby.”
The sergeant wrote a post on Reddit, in a subreddit created for people to meet for sex in the Fox Valley area. The sergeant created a post indicating that he was a female looking for a male and asked if there was anybody from Wisconsin.
The complaint states Reddit user DFALK7 sent a private message in which he indicated that he was a 36-year-old man by Bailey’s Harbor but was only there for the week. Sgt. Bartel replied back indicating that “Abby” was 14 years old. DFALK7 then went on to indicate that he was from Madison and in the area for vacation.
Showers engaged in sexually explicit conversations with “Abby” and at one point, the messages from DFALK7 indicated his desire to have intercourse with Abby. DFALK7 sent a partially nude photograph of himself, the complaint states, and requested a full body photograph of Abby in return.
The conversations were then moved to an application called Telegram, where DFALK7 began using the Telegram username DSCHAUER001. The complaint says the messages continued to be explicit in nature and eventually arrangements were made to meet at a park in Clintonville.
Showers was Carrying Viagra When He was Arrested by the Police
On Sunday, multiple police officers waited for the suspect, who eventually arrived and was taken into custody. The complaint said when officers searched him, they found two hotel room keys, a wallet which contained a driver’s license and credit cards bearing the name Andrew Showers, and one small white pill later identified as Sildenafil, commonly known by the brand name Viagra.
Showers was most-recently assigned to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Madison and had a presence at St. James School. Hying said the diocese is working with the parish and school to provide mental health support and other resources.
“I also recognize that the nature of the allegations is particularly difficult for parents. The charges and the information contained in the criminal complaint are terribly distressing,” Hying said. “I continue to ask for your prayers for everyone involved in this situation.”
Hying said allegations of sexual misconduct against minors by priests, deacons or other church personnel should be referred to law enforcement as well as the Diocese of Madison’s Sexual Misconduct Question and Reporting Line at 608-821-3162.
